Public panic, media frenzy, and prosecutions of multiple sexual molestations in day care centers unfolded nationwide in the 1980s. What propelled this phenomenon? And given the subsequent acquittals and court reversals in many of these cases, what has been learned from the way they were prosecuted? FRONTLINE asked three authorities on child abuse investigations to take up these and other questions. (From the 1998 report "The Child Terror.")

In this interview, producer Michael Kirk talks about the background of the Fuster case, including how it connects to his previous FRONTLINE report on molestation cases pursued by Florida in the 1980s; the national impact of the so-called "Miami Method" of prosecuting child abuse cases; and what we know of Ileana Flores's credibility and motivation in now coming forward to claim that her husband is innocent.

These four cases -- McMartin Preschool in California, Fells Acres in Massachusetts, Wee Care Nursery in New Jersey, and Little Rascals Day Care in North Carolina -- drew years of headlines throughout the 1980s. Here's a summary of the accusations and criminal charges, the trials and court appeals, and the final outcomes.